‘The Something’ by Abi Hynes

• Selected by Jo Howard

A young woman buys her first house and becomes aware of a presence, at first helpful, then gradually more controlling.

This tale of suburban obsession is worth reading for its crisp prose alone, but it’s also a cracking yarn. Hynes subverts the traditional ghost story. The setting, a modern home, complete with burglar alarm and double glazing, is the antithesis of gothic. The uncanny presence, far from creating a sense of unease, seems friendly, providing freshly folded towels and steaming mugs of tea. But Andrea soon realises ‘The Something’ rewards and punishes her in equal measure. A series of post-its charts her descent into a relationship characterised by coercive control; her love affair building to its ultimate conclusion when the house leaves her a final note.

Published in Hynes’ collection Monstrous Longing, Dahlia Publishing 2023